4.1.1 – Procedure – Search Process

Part 1: Purpose. It is the goal of the college to recruit and maintain the highest quality employees. The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that in fulfilling this goal, the college adheres to all contractual and legal requirements and promotes diversity in all of its search processes. The Human Resources Office staff, the Affirmative Action Officer, and the appropriate administrator will be involved in all phases of the search process to ensure this commitment is maintained.

Part 2: Approval of New Positions. Requests for new (non-temporary) positions require the approval of the President’s Cabinet. The appropriate administrator or supervisor is responsible for drafting the position description and for collecting data which support the request. The Human Resources Office is available to provide assistance in preparing the position description. The administrator will forward the request with a signed position description to Human Resources for review and to the President’s Cabinet for discussion and approval. New positions, in most cases, require an audit to determine the appropriate classification. The administrator should take this into account in planning the schedule for filling the position as the process is completed at the Office of the Chancellor and can take several weeks to complete.

Part 3: The Search Chair and Committee

Subpart A: Search Committee Chair. The chair of the search committee shall be appointed by the President and will normally be the administrator or supervisor of the vacant position. The search committee chair will meet with an HR representative prior to formation of the committee for a search chair orientation to review the process and set timelines. For classified positions there is an internal posting and bidding.

Subpart B: Search Committees. The chair shall invite participation in the search committee with an all-employee email. The Search Committee Handbook describes in detail the issues a chair needs to consider in forming a committee (e.g., stakeholders, in-field expertise, ability to commit to the process, etc.). The committee should include: representatives from all bargaining units, if possible, and individuals with expertise or a stake in the decision. The search committee shall have at least four members, including the chair. The final selection of committee members will be approved by the appropriate Vice President, using the Search Committee Nomination form.

Subpart C: Search Committee Members. All members of the search committee must agree to be available during all aspects of the hiring process, or they should not serve. All members shall also attend an orientation session facilitated by a Human Resources staff member and a representative of Affirmative Action before the process begins. The committee members must agree to maintain confidentiality during the entire search process and take an active role in all aspects of the search for qualified candidates.

Part 4: Posting and Advertising. The posting requirements differ by bargaining unit, but generally require a two week posting period in a MnSCU or State website. In addition, there are other online resources, newspaper and targeted diversity resources typically used in the recruitment process. The search committee chair will work with a Human Resources staff member to establish the recruitment plan.

Part 5: Applicant Pool Certification. The Affirmative Action Officer will review the Equal Employment Opportunity information related to the applicant pool, and meet with the search chair to discuss the pool and minimum qualifications. The Affirmative Action Officer will be in contact with the Administrator and Director of HumanResources if there is a concern regarding the diversity of the applicant pool. The search process continues when the pool of applicants has been certified by the Affirmative Action Officer.

Part 6: Screening

Subpart A: Screening Criteria. The committee will develop the screening criteria using the position description, posting and advertisements prior to the review of the applications. The HR office will screen the applicant pool for minimum qualifications upon request. Each committee member will review all the applicant files using the agreed-upon criteria and make recommendations to the committee.

Subpart B: Selection of Semifinalists. The search committee will meet and, through discussion, work to identify the semifinalists to be interviewed. The screening process may include a phone interview in order to further evaluate a larger pool of candidates. The chair is responsible for ensuring that this step includes the same equitable treatment as required of the on-campus interview session, (i.e. the same questions are asked of each candidate).

Part 7: Interview Process

The search committee creates the interview activities (i.e., the interview questions, tests or exams, a presentation topic, etc.) to be used in each interview. The HR office will review all activities for appropriateness and is available to help create useful and effective evaluation tools.

The committee is responsible for developing the schedule of interview activities and checking with the HR office as to the availability of the interview dates.

The Human Resources staff will contact all semifinalists to arrange interviews. The candidates will be sent a confirmation of the interview date and time, a parking permit, information needed to prepare for the interview, and materials requested by the committee.

The chair of the search committee is responsible for facilitating the search process in a professional manner, ensuring that the candidates are made to feel welcome and are provided enough information about the process, the position and the college. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that candidates are provided a tour of the campus as part of the interview.

The chair may also request other activities intended to help the candidate understand the college and the community. This may include a meeting with a Human Resources staff member, a tour of the department and campus, a meeting with other employees.

Part 8: Recommendation of Finalists

Subpart A: Selection of Finalists. After the interviews, the search committee will determine which of the semifinalists meet the criteria and are acceptable to forward as finalists. This determination should be based on the following factors:

The candidate’s credentials and experience

Interview results

A work sample, test result or the results of other evaluative assessment.

The feedback of the campus constituent groups as a result of open forums or presentations. The committee is charged with forwarding the names of three finalists for the President’s consideration. The chair will guide the committee through this process and create a list of evaluative comments (strengths and weaknesses) for each candidate recommended as a finalist. The search chair shall use the Search Committee Summary Form to recommend the unranked list of finalists to the President and include evaluative comments regarding each candidate.

Subpart B: Reference Checks. The Human Resources office or an external consulting firm will conduct reference checks on the finalists, after securing their written consent.

Subpart C: Hiring Decision. The appropriate Vice President and search committee chair will discuss the results of the search and reference checks with the President. The President will make the hiring decision. The employment offer will be made contingent upon the results of a criminal background check as required by LSC Policy 4.6 “Criminal Background Checks.”